Loving Annabelle: The Sequel
by twoandeight
Summary: This is my idea of what should/could happen in a Loving Annabelle sequel. And no, it's not "Simone and Annabelle live happily ever after" because that would be boring. But there will be Simone and Annabelle, I promise. And there will be lots of drama and exciting things. It's just my creative whims as they come to me. But I have a plan. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Annabelle wrote a quote on the board, _"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."_

"Who can tell me who said this?" she asked.

"Was it Marcel Proust?" asked a shy girl in the back row, as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yes, it most certainly was. Well done Lucy." Annabelle replied, smiling.

"Miss Tillman, this doesn't make any sense. Are you telling me that having new eyes around this dump is going to help me discover something? I don't think so." A somewhat rowdy student who liked to make an issue of things was stirring the pot as per usual. Her name was Gemma, and she reminded Annabelle a lot of Kat. Annabelle hesitated and took a deep breath, trying not to lose her temper. "You'd be surprised."

The bell rang, and Annabelle's students were out the door at the drop of a hat. She didn't mind, this gave her time to think and relax before the next class. She paced around the room, remembering the events of several years ago as the memories came flooding back. For old times sake, she even sat in the same chair where she'd once doted on Miss Bradley, in disbelief as to how different things were now. She hadn't heard from Simone in over a year. The pair hadn't left things on the best note and after many failed attempts, Annabelle had given up trying to contact her. Her heart broken, she decided that if she couldn't have Simone she had to come back to Saint Theresa's so she could at least feel close to her again.

A knock on the door awakened Annabelle out of her daze. "Mother Immaculata?" she answered, looking at the frail, tired old woman. "How can I help you?"

"There's a new girl in your class, Lucy Browning. She's just moved here from Colorado and her mother's concerned she's going to be quite lonely. Could you find her a buddy in your dorm to take care of her?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Thank you very much Annabelle. That will be all."

Later that night Annabelle saw Lucy eating alone in the dining hall. She approached her and sat down, trying to think of the best person to point her towards.

"Hi Miss Tillman, how are you?"

"It's 6pm so you can call me Annabelle. I'll be the teacher who looks after your dorm. Have you found any of your roommates yet?"

"No not yet, I've heard Gemma lives in dorm 5 but that's about it."

"Yes, she does... Let me see if I can find you some of the other girls and introduce you to them. Oh see, over there! That's Jessica Edwards, she's lovely. Why don't you go and sit with her?"

"I don't know, I'm a bit nervous about meeting new people..."

"Don't worry, I'll go talk to her. She'll be really excited to meet you, I'm sure." Annabelle smiled comfortingly at Lucy as she got up and approached the other table.

"Jessica, how are we this evening?" Annabelle asked, looking somewhat sternly at the table of girls.

"We're great!" she laughed. "Let me guess, has my Mom been asking about me again?"

"No I haven't heard from Kristen in a while... just as well you've been on your best behaviour. I have a favour to ask you, see that girl over there?"

Jessica nodded.

"That's Lucy Browning, she just got here today. She's going to be in our dorm so you need to make her feel welcome, okay?"

"Sure!" Jessica yelled, and practically skipped over to Lucy's table. She liked making new friends. Annabelle felt her mission had been accomplished and left the dining hall, managing a dark look at Gemma on her way out.

Annabelle enjoyed looking after the girls, but definitely felt she needed her own space too. She retreated to her own private apartment just off of dorm 5. Yes, the same apartment that Simone once inhabited. The same bedroom where they... well, you know. It was hardly recognisable now, the walls had been painted a deep red and Annabelle had put her own stamp on it. Posters adorned the walls, her guitar on a stand in the corner, and even one of Kat's cat paintings that had been gifted to her as an inadequate "sorry" gesture. In fact, Annabelle almost made a point of arranging the whole space differently so it didn't remind her of Simone. She had come back to remember those times, but being so close to where they had happened was unexpectedly painful for her. She also wanted to start a new life, and teaching poetry and music was what she loved.

Annabelle sat on her bed and scrawled down words for a song. She'd decided she was going to perform to her music class tomorrow. _Blue eyed woman... these walls hold your stories... these halls are your home... but where are you now... _"Argh!" Annabelle screwed up the piece of paper and threw it to the floor, frustrated. "This is terrible," she said out loud, but under her breath. What on earth was she going to sing? If she couldn't come up with an original song by tomorrow she was going to be forced to play something else. But it didn't matter, she didn't care anymore. She just wanted to go to bed. As she nestled under the covers she heard giggling from the room next door, the girls obviously having a good time. She wasn't going to disturb them, it brought a smile to her face and she thought "that was me once."


	2. Chapter 2

Annabelle lugged her guitar up the hill as the sun rose on St. Theresa's. The music block was a small wooden building hidden at the back of the campus. She liked days when she only taught music, she could dress down in her favourite clothes and during her breaks she sat outside amongst the daisies and played her guitar. Today Annabelle was wearing a loose purple tie-dye top and some old baggy jeans. She had her Buddhist prayer beads on and an array of bracelets.

As the clunky old lock turned and the door creaked open Annabelle took a deep breath and thought to herself _"it's good to be back." _Slowly and one by one girls arrived to the class and threw their bags to the floor, most of them not acknowledging their teacher. 5 minutes before the class started Lucy popped her head round the door and asked "am I in the right place?" Annabelle smiled. "Absolutely."

"Morning girls. I trust you all had a good sleep last night..." a few girls giggled and Lucy looked sheepishly at Annabelle. "Good, because today's going to be a fabulous day. We're going to start our module on song writing. Now, I love song writing. It's a place where I can get away from everything. It's the place where you feel at peace with all of your emotions and truly able to freely express them." Annabelle stood up and approached the white board in the music room. "Right, here's what we're going to do. What's everyone feeling right now, come on, throw me some answers." She received a blank stare. "Ok fine, I'll start. Today I am feeling... inspired and content," she announced as she wrote the two words on the board. "Anyone?"

Jessica piped up from the back of the classroom, "TIRED!"

"Okay fair enough, we all get a little tired sometimes... anyone else?"

"Hopeful," Lucy muttered quietly and displayed a small smile.

"Good, I like the good vibes!"

Another girl bravely announced what she was feeling "Heartbroken," she said.

"Ah, well, that I know all too well..." said Annabelle, sitting back down. "Some of the best songs I know were written over heartbreak. In fact, the song I've decided to play you today follows that theme." This was a moment where Annabelle was taking a risk with her class. _Was it too much too soon? _She was opening her true self up, to a bunch of high school girls. This is how Annabelle liked to teach. She believed in authenticity, and true bonds between her and her students. "Now, this is a song that is very close to my heart. I haven't played it in a really long time so I hope I'm not too rusty."

Lucy looked on with intrigue as this new figure in her life was beginning to become even more interesting. She deeply admired Annabelle's talent and knew she felt incredibly safe in her presence.

Annabelle took a few light strums on the guitar and was visibly transporting herself to another place and time before breathing the first words of the song "_In the space between what's wrong and right... you will find me waiting for you... all your fortresses go down in the night... til the dawn I'll see you through..." _Her eyes remained closed, it was as if she was back on that stage again singing to Simone. She could hear the rain, she could visualize the people... she almost expected to be wearing her red dress. They remained closed and clenched at a moment of painful remembering "_cos I know, that you know, you're all over me now... and it's clear, you will show, and your curtains will close, but if your heart is cold, my sheets are warm, I will shelter you... through the storm. I will shelter you, all through the storm." _Annabelle opened her eyes and found herself looking directly into Lucy's gaze. The young girl had tears in her eyes, and appeared to be looking to Annabelle for some sort of... something. Perhaps comfort? She didn't know. She broke the eye contact and looked around at the class, who began applauding. "Thank you," she uttered.

And with that, the bell rang.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've just moved to a new city. Also I wasn't sure if people were reading/enjoying this but I've got a few reviews now and it seems people are! This story is a bit of a slow-burner, so it may not seem like a lot is happening right now but it's building up to something good, I promise. Life if pretty hectic for me at the moment so I'm afraid I can really only update when I find the time, but I do enjoy it when I do __. Keep the reviews coming!_

It was Sunday, and this could only mean one thing. CHURCH. Not that they didn't go to church every day at St. Theresa's, but Sunday was the most intense church-going experience you could imagine. The girls got dressed up in full formal uniform and all the staff had to dress nicely. Annabelle was gazing into the mirror, adjusting and re-adjusting the black blazer she'd picked out for today's service. She was nervous, but she didn't know why. Was it that the priest's sermons often made her feel guilty? Was it the prospect of sitting next to Mother Immaculata for 2 hours? Was it the fear that maybe, just maybe, she'd find herself glancing over Lucy a little too often.

One by one the girls filed into the hot, stuffy church. Annabelle made herself at home amongst the other staff - it was a strange feeling to be sitting on the other side of the aisle. Mother Immaculata struggled her way into a seat, now needing a cane to aid her. Annabelle gave her a hand. Despite their history and Mother Immaculata's disapproval of Simone and Annabelle's relationship, the pair had moved on from that. The church does preach forgiveness, does it not?

The priest was a young man who had graduated from St. Pauls. Annabelle remembered meeting him briefly at the dance, she had always thought he would be a good match for Collins. Awkward and quirky, but incredibly sweet. "Today we are going to talk about fear," he said. "Fear can do lots of things. It can hold us back, it can almost cripple us. However, extraordinary things happen when we look that fear in the eye, and do the very thing we are afraid of." Annabelle felt tense. She could feel her palms sweating, and not just because of the heat. She was aware that someone was looking at her. Regardless, she kept her focus ahead. "What is it that we fear? Failure, regret... judgement. Well, I can tell you this. Every failure is a lesson learnt. Regret is not something you want to have in your life. And judgement? Anyone who judges you is in no place to do so. The only person who can judge you is God." Annabelle couldn't take it anymore. She glanced to her right. Lucy was staring directly at her, as if her eyes hadn't moved for 20 minutes. Annabelle looked back, unaware of what her expression may be conveying. She held her gaze for quite some time. Lucy mouthed what appeared to be "it's okay," and smiled. Annabelle snapped her head back towards the front of the church, somewhat shocked. She didn't know what to think of that.

Later on at the Sunday brunch Annabelle was in the dining hall, opting to sit alone at a small table in the corner. She had hoped this would have the effect of being invisible, but unfortunately it did the opposite. Lucy sat down in front of Annabelle, who didn't lift her head. "Miss... Miss?" she said.

"I told you, you can call me Annabelle" she replied, still not looking up.

"Annabelle, are you okay?"

She looked up. She stared deeply into her eyes. "Lucy, what is it that you want?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss... I mean Annabelle. I just... I'm feeling quite lonely at the moment and I don't really know what to do."

Annabelle sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I think I must be feeling a little funny too. It is really hard when you first come here, I remember when I arrived I felt alone for weeks. I guess I just sort of pretended like I was everyone's best friend until they accepted me like I was."

"As in fake it til you make it?"

"Exactly," Annabelle replied, with a smile.

"But what if I don't want to fake it?" Lucy stated boldly, then scanned Annabelle for a reaction.

Annabelle didn't react. She looked back down at her food. "You might have to, at least for a little while," she whispered, almost as if she was speaking to herself.

Lucy stood up and left.

Later that night Annabelle was alone in her room and couldn't stop thinking. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. What did Lucy mean by "it's okay?" What's okay? If this girl had a crush on her then she was suddenly going to be put in a very tough bind. She took a deep breath, and picked up her phone. She made the familiar scan down her list of contacts to find Simone. She hastily typed out a message, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the things I put you through. I know I ruined your career and it's not fair because I shouldn't have put that kind of pressure on you. I know what it's like. I want to see you. Please, talk to me. x"

She pushed the button without hesitation, and it was sent.


	4. Chapter 4

Annabelle awoke to a series of loud, repeated knocks on her door, each one muffled by her bedspread and dozy state. She glanced at the alarm clock – 7:30am. "Huh? Hmm… what? I'm awake?" The knocking continued. Annabelle realised she would have to get up, so she stumbled out of bed and answered the door in her plaid pyjama pants and a loose-fitting black t-shirt. Sister Claire looked back at her, somewhat expressionless. "We need to have an urgent staff meeting, something's come up." Without saying any more the older woman turned around and disappeared downstairs. Annabelle was still in a state of confusion, _what could this be about?_

Looking slightly more presentable than before, Annabelle entered the staff meeting room and gestured apologies for her lateness and scruffy appearance. As she sat down, other staff members were muttering between themselves and there was a heaviness to the room. Sister Claire addressed the group, "There's been a situation unfolding overnight. Mother Immaculata is very unwell and has been taken to hospital." There were a few quiet gasps and Annabelle felt her heart drop a little. She cared for the woman, despite everything that had happened. "Now obviously for the meantime we are without a headmistress. I know all your teaching plates are full and with exams coming up I didn't think it would be fair to drop this responsibility on any of you." That was a relief. Annabelle knew she had more than enough to deal with amongst rowdy students, Lucy seeming to have a crush on her, and her own personal battles. She let out a deep sigh. Sister Claire continued, "I've made a few phone calls this morning and thankfully someone has volunteered for the job. Simone Bradley will be arriving this afternoon as Acting Headmistress." Silence. Now her heart really paid attention. Annabelle could feel her pulse racing and her palms sweating, not sure what to do with this piece of information. She hadn't received a reply to the text she sent, so she really didn't know where she stood with Simone. Only time could tell.

All day she could only think of Simone. It was seven long hours until 4pm, Miss Bradley's anticipated arrival time. As she tried to teach, Annabelle was having vivid flashbacks of that time they spent together. She opted not to teach any material that was covered in Simone's classes, as she wasn't sure she could handle it. As the hot summer weather only added to her stress, she felt like she was going to pass out. The bell rang, and Jessica Edwards approached her desk on the way out. "Miss Tillman, are you okay? You don't look so flash…"

"Oh, honestly don't worry about me… Just the heat, you know?" Annabelle replied, unconvincingly.

"I heard Miss Bradley is coming back, is it true!?"

"Yes that's right. I think she'll be worried about her Aunt so we all need to be nice and easy on her okay? Make sure you tell the other girls."

"Okay Miss Tillman, sure," she obeyed with a smile, and left.

By the time 4pm rolled around Annabelle was beside herself. She had finished teaching her music class and ran back down the hill and up to her bedroom, where she had a good view of the driveway and entrance to Saint Theresa's. She knew she had to hide, at least for a little while. _Did Simone even know she was here? Was she mad about the text she sent? Did it give her any clues? _Annabelle didn't expect to be staring her in the face right after that confession. The trees were swaying in the wind and the familiar sound of crunching stones could only mean one thing – she was here. Annabelle recognised Simone's blue convertible in an instant, it was the same one they took to the beach. As the door opened she unknowingly held her breath, as Simone stepped out looking as beautiful and graceful as ever. She took off her sunglasses and looked up the main building, reflecting and smiling. She was obviously happy to be back. Annabelle flipped onto her back and held her pillow over her face, daunted by what was in store. It was too much, seeing her was all too much.

The clunk of heels came up the stairs and Annabelle could hear two muffled voices. One of them was Sister Claire. "You'll be staying in Mother Immaculata's suite, I'm afraid your old apartment is now occupied."

"Ahh yes, that old place…" Simone replied. "It was so peaceful there. I hope it hasn't been torn to shreds?"

"No no, I can assure you it's being well looked after," the sister replied.

"Do you mind…" Simone hesistated. "Could I maybe just see it? It's been so long."

_Shit. _Annabelle was panicking inside, hoping Sister Claire would turn her away. She jumped up from her bed, not knowing where to go, where to stand, if she should change clothes or hide in another room. In her blind panic, she simply stood still in the entrance way. The door began to creak open, and Annabelle could do nothing but look straight ahead. Simone emerged, alone, and visibly stunned once she realised who she was looking at. The pair gazed at each other, scanning for reactions. Annabelle just shrugged. Simone glanced over at the bed. Here they were, in the very spot they were caught all those years ago. And yet, so much had changed.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys, glad you're enjoying the story! I wanted to upload this chapter last night but the damn servers wouldn't let me sign in. Really enjoyed writing this one, let me know what you think! x_

They stared at each other. The air was heavy. Annabelle recognised this face. This was the face Simone pulled at the beach, when she walked in to Annabelle reading Amanda's suicide letter.

"Please tell me it isn't true" Simone said, sternly.

"What?"

She took a step closer and grabbed Annabelle by the wrist. "If you're sleeping with a student then you obviously haven't learnt anything, do you have any idea what you're doing!?"

Annabelle quivered, in both shock and fear. "I'm not… I just, I uh… what have you heard?"

"That text told me everything I needed to know. Jesus Annabelle, who is she?"

"Her name's Lucy, she's in my dorm… I don't know, I think she has a crush on me. She's really shy around the other girls but for some reason she feels more comfortable talking to me. NOTHING has happened, I swear."

Simone saw the disbelief and desperation in Annabelle's eyes and began to feel bad, realising that she was maybe out of line. "Okay. I'm sorry it's just… It's been a hard couple of days."

"Yeah no doubt," Annabelle replied, perching on the edge of her bed.

Simone glanced down and was visibly uncomfortable. "Well, I'm really tired so I'm going to head to bed. Good night."

"Good night," Annabelle called as Simone left the room. She smiled, half to herself and half at Simone.

The next morning Annabelle awoke in disbelief, _did yesterday really happen? Was it all a strange dream? _By the time she got dressed and was outside locking her door, she noticed Gemma lurking in the hallway. "Can I help you with something?" she asked.

"Oh nothing, I just had a little trouble getting to sleep last night Miss Tillman," the young delinquent replied. "Lovers tiff was it?"

Annabelle's chest tightened and she felt the blood rush to her head. "You're late for class," she stated, firmly, and turned to walk away.

"Whatever," Gemma replied, obviously looking for further reaction. She wasn't going to get it.

Later in the dining hall Annabelle opted to sit at the staff table. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be closer to Simone or further away from Lucy, just to be safe. As everyone was enjoying their lunch, a familiar sound caught people's attention and Simone stood up to address the group. "Good morning girls. Sorry to take you all away from your meals but I just thought I'd formally introduce myself. I'm Miss Bradley, and I actually used to teach at this school. As you all may have heard, Mother Immaculata is unwell and I'll be taking her position as headmistress. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you and helping you on the journey that I myself was once on. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you."

Annabelle found herself looking up at Simone in adoration. She was so generous and kind, the kind of headmistress she wishes was there in her time. She snapped back to looking at her food, not wanting to give anything away. "Miss Bradley," she said under her breath, and laughed. It had been a while since she heard that name.

Luckily, it was a Friday night. The week was finally over. Unluckily, Annabelle was rostered on to supervise prep. This was the study period where girls would sit in the library for two hours and pretend to work. It became too exhausting to actually bother disciplining them, plus Annabelle was secretly on their side, so she would usually bring a book and zone out. Tonight was no different, she rested her feet up on an extra chair and swayed from time to time if she got bored. As she leant back, she spotted something unusual. She got up and made her way towards the hooded individual, who was curled up in the corner between two bookshelves. "Lucy, are you okay?"

She was sobbing. "Not exactly."

"What's going on?" Annabelle asked, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Gemma, last night. She said she heard you and Miss Bradley talking."

"Oh…" Annabelle muttered, slowly joining dots together.

"She told the whole dorm that I was gay and I was going to go to hell, and it's not even true!" Lucy buried her head in her hands.

Annabelle could feel herself getting furious. "I'll talk to her. Bullying is absolutely unacceptable and I won't tolerate it."

"Thank you…" she trailed off.

"Would you like to see the school counsellor?" Annabelle asked.

"I'm not sure it would help much… I can't change who she is."

"No, I mean…" Annabelle hesitated. "Sexuality is an issue for a lot of people your age. It can be very confusing and you might feel something one day and completely different the next. It can help to talk to someone about it."

"Oh, but… can I not talk to you about it?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not sure that would be appropriate."

"But you understand. The school counsellor is a catholic who is probably going to try and 'cure' me. You're the only other one in this school like me…"

"What do you mean by that?" Annabelle asked, frowning.

"Well… you're gay aren't you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"You and Miss Bradley. Jessica told me, she wasn't trying to be mean or anything, I swear, it's just she knows about it because her Mom was at school the same time as you were or something."

"Kristen…" Annabelle whispered.

"Yeah that's right, Kristen!"

Annabelle shifted her weight away from the young girl. She was processing everything she'd just heard but also wanted to be sure more than ever that she wasn't compromising her role as a teacher.

Lucy looked for eye contact. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

Annabelle looked back and before she could say anything Lucy rested her hand on her knee.

A voice in the distance echoed through the library, "Sorry to interrupt girls, I'm looking for –" Simone stopped dead in her tracks. She looked down at Lucy's hand and back up at Annabelle. "…. Miss Tillman," she breathed, finishing her sentence. Lucy dragged her hand away slowly, as if to make it invisible.

Annabelle coughed, "Miss Bradley?"

"See me upstairs."


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey guys, so I kinda feel like this chapter is a bit shit but I hope you like it anyway. Been having writer's block lately. Hopefully inspiration will strike me again but here's something short to hold you over __ x_

Annabelle tentatively creaked open the door of Simone's room, that which used to be Mother Immaculata's. Simone was waiting for her on the couch, staring blankly into space. Annabelle had her apologetic face on, and was lost for words herself. It was almost as if walking slower would put off the impending conversation that she didn't want to have. "Should I sit down?" she asked, feeling the need to seek permission.

"No, there is fine" Simone breathed, looking at the ground. She stood up herself and approached the window, all the while avoiding eye contact.

"I'm sorry…" Annabelle uttered.

Simone still didn't turn around. She gazed into the night sky and the stillness that surrounded them. "Sorry for what?"

"Listen, Lucy was upset. I was just trying to comfort her and I wasn't expecting for her to do that. There was nothing in it."

"So you're not sorry?"

Annabelle sighed, and didn't say more. Words escaped her.

Simone turned around and caught the gaze of the younger woman in front of her. "Annabelle, I'm not just your ex-girlfriend. I'm your headmistress, your boss. I can't make exceptions for you. This kind of special treatment of a student is totally unacceptable."

She laughed. It was a little ironic for Simone to be giving her a lecture on this very topic. "What, like the special treatment you gave me?"

"That was different."

"Oh really, how?"

"You came on to me Annabelle. You know I tried to do the right thing."

"And I'm not!? SHE LIKES ME, that's it. It's a harmless schoolgirl crush, and I'm not going to turn my back on a student that's in a hard place."

"And do you like her?" Simone asked, abruptly.

Annabelle took a few steps forward. "Excuse me?"

"Do you like her?"

"What is this even about Simone? Because I get the feeling this isn't some concerned headmistress looking after her student. If anything I'm the one doing that. Why do you care so much?"

Simone backed down a little, and returned to her position on the couch. She fidgeted with her cross and didn't say much. She merely looked up at Annabelle and tried to convey what she was feeling with a single look.

"You're worried about Immaculata aren't you?" Annabelle asked.

Simone nodded. Annabelle made her way over and joined Simone on the couch. "Look, you know I'm here for you okay?" She rested her hand on the older woman's knee. Simone quickly turned her head, almost surprised.

"There isn't any student that would come before you."

Simone managed a smile and bowed her head, she felt both sad and unable to talk. Tears began falling down her cheeks and the stress of everything was finally being let out. A hand came across and wiped each tear before the salty taste could reach her lips. That same hand turned her face ever so slowly and softly, so that she was looking her ex-lover deeply in the eyes. She saw only compassion, not someone who was there to hurt or deceive her.

Annabelle wanted to approach this as carefully as possible. She didn't want to take advantage of the situation but at the same time she genuinely felt pain on behalf of Simone and wanted to do whatever she could to ease it. She leant in and placed her lips on those of the older woman, tenderly and gently. She wiped away tears with her thumb and ran her fingers through her hair.

Simone responded with the same level of softness, barely mustering the strength to do so. She curled up in a ball on the couch and Annabelle followed, cradling herself in the comfort of Simone around her. They were together again.


	7. Chapter 7

Annabelle's eyes flicked open and closed several times before she realised where she was. She found herself lying in bed next to Simone, in a tangle of limbs, that familiar feeling of bare skin against hers… it was comfortable. She felt at home.

Simone felt an arm around her waist tighten and pull her closer, feeling the warmth of Annabelle behind her. It awoke her, and she too needed a moment to process what was happening. She wriggled in bed and put some distance between the two of them.

Annabelle let out a pained noise and attempted to pull Simone back in. She was met with resistance. "What?" she whispered, firmly.

"Annabelle…" Simone replied, huskily. "No."

Annabelle was now wide awake and sat up straight in bed, frustrated. She stared down at the lifeless figure below her, hoping to get some sort of further indication as to why she was behaving like this. With no luck, she sprang out of bed and began changing into last night's clothes.

Simone felt her eyes involuntarily clench shut as she listened to the clink of the belt on the floor and the shuffling of jeans being put on. She desperately wanted to say something but felt paralyzed. She clung to her sheet as footsteps resounded through the room and the door echoed with a bang. She wanted to stay in bed, but she knew that she couldn't.

It was Saturday brunch at St Theresa's and the dining room was buzzing with activity. Annabelle weaved her way through a sea of students, finally finding a seat and focusing on her meal. She had rushed back to her room to change and freshen up, because she knew she could trust Gemma to be observant of her every move, even wearing yesterday's outfit. She stared at her bacon and pancakes and shuffled them around the plate with her fork. Strangely, her appetite wasn't really there. Knowing time was of the essence before Simone showed up, she swallowed whatever she could manage and stood up to leave.

As she was racing out the door and into the adjoining hallway, she was met with a surprising thud. She instinctively put her arms around the figure to steady herself, and felt the familiar fabric of Simone's suit blazer. She backed off and looked Miss Bradley in the eye, who looked a little shaken yet sad. "Sorry," Annabelle muttered and continued her swift path upstairs.

Simone had decided to call Lucy into her office, in order to discuss whatever issues she was dealing with at the time. She felt she needed to get a handle on it herself and see if what Annabelle was telling her was correct. Besides, it was her duty as headmistress to take care of her students. She heard a faint knock on the door and welcomed Lucy in.

The pair looked at each other for a while as if they were in a staring contest, neither of them quite knowing how to begin the conversation.

"I understand you've been going through a rough time lately," Simone stated, leaning on her desk.

"I guess you could say that," the student replied, slumping in her chair.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Not that I can think of," she said stubbornly.

"Listen, I'm here to help. But I can't do that if you're not willing to be honest with me. Miss Tillman mentioned you were having some issues with… sexuality?"

"I'd rather talk to Annabelle about it."

Simone could feel herself getting agitated. "First of all, you are to address her as Miss Tillman. Secondly, it is not appropriate for you to confide in her solely with these kinds of issues. She has spoken to me about it and is feeling uncomfortable, so this is to stop now, okay?"

Lucy gave Simone a steely glare. Another side of her that no one had seen yet was about to come out. "I know that YOU might want me to stop talking to her, but she doesn't. You broke her heart, and now you don't want her but you don't want anyone else to have her. Everything was fine before you showed up." She leaned forward in her seat, maintaining eye contact with Miss Bradley. "You can punish me if you like, but on what grounds? The headmistress who slept with her student, criticizes student for TALKING to teacher. Won't go down too well I don't think." She shoved her chair out from behind her and stormed out of the room.

Simone took a deep breath. Somehow she had managed to be walked out on twice today.

Annabelle was outside taking a dip in the pool, the warm summer heat was scorching and this was the place where she liked to get away from everything and think. It was down the bank and out of sight, surrounded by trees, her own private little haven. She lay on her back and let the water lap past her ears, temporarily deafened from any outside distraction. As she drifted backwards in the water, she became aware of a shadow being cast over her, and rose to see who it was. "Oh, Hi Lucy…"

Without acknowledging Annabelle, Lucy began to strip out of her clothes and down to her underwear. She obviously hadn't been planning a swim, but nevertheless, here she was. Without warning she bombed into the pool, causing a big splash and causing Annabelle to close her eyes, laugh a little, and wipe the chlorine from her face. Before she even had a chance to come to her senses, she felt her body being pulled in close to Lucy's and the crash of lips onto hers, drawing her into a passionate kiss. Without even thinking she responded, unable to resist being touched like this by someone new and exciting. She placed her hand on the small of Lucy's back, and eliminated all distance between them. She felt her hair being combed through by the younger girl's hands, and broke the kiss temporarily to gasp. She hadn't known she'd wanted this, but she did now. Annabelle lifted Lucy up, who responded by wrapping her legs round her teacher's waist. She led her to the edge of the pool and pushed her up against it. The pair paused to smile at each other, Annabelle in disbelief, Lucy having got what she'd wanted all along. There'd be consequences, yes, but neither of them had that anywhere in their mind. Annabelle shifted her weight into Lucy and initiated another steamy kiss. The seductress in her had been there all along, and was not to be tamed. "Are you sure this is what you want?" she breathed.

"Yes," Lucy replied.

"And you won't tell anyone?"

"No."

No one was going to find them today. No Gemma, no Simone… no one.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi everyone, sorry it's taken me so long to come back to this… Lost inspiration there for a while. Apologies if it doesn't flow on naturally or there are any continuity issues. Also, if you have two seconds I'd really appreciate it if you check out a new fan video I made for Simone &amp; Annabelle. I haven't made videos in ages but I really enjoy it and would love if people could enjoy what I'm doing too. For some reason it won't let me past the whole youtube link but the end of it is watch?v=j4n8YJHq4CA. You know the rest. And without further ado, here's the chapter!_

Night was beginning to fall and yet Annabelle and Lucy had not moved from their spot in the pool. They had spent the last few hours kissing, touching, and telling stories. Annabelle learnt more about Lucy's catholic upbringing and her parents' extreme disdain for gay people. Lucy learnt more about Annabelle's time as a student of St. Theresa's, the torment of Kat, and of course Collins and Kristen. Annabelle told some details of her and Simone's affair but wanted to remain somewhat careful as this was quickly becoming a very fragile situation. She loved the sense of adventure though. She always had. The fear of getting caught, the excitement of a new person and the escape from everyday life.

The girls planned different routes around the school and back to the dorm room, one designed to take longer so no one would notice two people dripping wet and draw their own conclusions. Annabelle was second to make it back and hastily entered her apartment, successfully avoiding suspicion. This was until she heard a knock on the door. "Yeah, come in!" she yelled, halfway out the bathroom door. She was greeted by Simone, who looked slightly taken aback by a half-naked Annabelle drying her hair. "Oh hi, what's up?" Annabelle asked.

"I um… I had an interesting conversation with Lucy earlier."

"Oh yep, mmm hmm… When you say earlier… Like, how earlier is earlier?"

"It was just after lunch, why do you ask?"

"Oh! Because… because I haven't seen her around all afternoon. I just thought it was weird, that's all." Annabelle continued drying her hair and wandering about the apartment, acting casual enough to convince Simone she was being truthful.

"I think I upset her…" Simone said, looking for some kind of comfort or recognition.

"What makes you say that?" Annabelle asked.

"Well, I mentioned something about sexuality and how she wasn't to talk to you about it anymore, then she got in a big huff and started calling me out about our relationship, WHICH by the way I have no idea how she knows about."

"Oh yeah, that…" Annabelle replied, a bit too complacently for Simone's comfort.

"Did you know about that?"

"Yeah, well… Kristen told her. Which by the way I'm not happy about. But that combined with big-mouth Gemma I'd say the whole dorm knows."

"WHAT? And how is it possible that you don't care about this?"

"Simone, I'm not ashamed of what we did. Besides, they're teenagers, they'll be talking about something new in five seconds."

Simone paused and felt both reminiscent and annoyed at Annabelle for her lack of concern. However, it was this free spirit that she once fell in love with. She was too proud to admit that this bikini-clad girl in front of her, and the attitude she was currently exhibiting was insanely attractive. Still, she had to ignore this for now. "Well… I suppose I better go and find her."

"Hey! No, don't worry about it. Give her some time to cool off, you don't want her going crazy at you again. I can find her."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, with everything that's being going on?"

"Yeah, no sweat. I'll lay down the law if I need to, promise." Annabelle quickly threw some sweatpants and a tshirt on, and was out the door before Simone could beat her to it.

Annabelle gently knocked on the door of the neighbouring dorm, and opened it to find Gemma and Jessica staring back at her. "Hey girls, I was wondering if you'd seen Lucy?"

"No, but you should know where to find her, right?" Gemma replied, snarkily.

Annabelle bit back with "evidently not." She gave Gemma the stare and continued her search elsewhere. She was sure Lucy was going straight back to her dorm, and couldn't understand why she wouldn't be there. With no luck in the dining hall, library, or anywhere indoors, she ventured outside. She found herself concerned for Lucy, what if she hadn't made it back safely? As she paced between the moonlight archways of St Theresa's, a sense of panic heightened. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her from behind and pull her strongly towards them. "Fuck!" she whispered, as loudly as is possible for a whisper.

"Hey, it's just me, it's okay."

"Jesus Lucy, what are you doing? Did you not go back to your dorm?"

"No, I did. But Gemma started questioning me and I freaked out and I started thinking what if what me and you did is wrong, and what if I am going to hell, and what if people find out and I jeopardize your whole career and everything is ruined and -"

" - Stop." Annabelle hushed the young girl. She grabbed hold of Lucy by either shoulder and stared into her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. And you're not going to hell, don't be ridiculous."

Lucy took a few deep breaths to calm herself, her misty eyes staring back at Annabelle.

"Hey…" Annabelle replied softly. "It's okay…" and enveloped her in a warm hug. "I was starting to worry about you, out here on your own."

Lucy was shivering, still in her wet undergarments. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Annabelle rubbed her back to warm her up, and gave a quick glance around to make sure no one could see them. She cupped her hand on Lucy's jaw and stroked her cheek with her thumb. "Just don't do it again, okay" she whispered before pulling her in for a kiss.


End file.
